Excel Function Argument Types
In this tutorial, you will notice that all the functions use a set of parentheses. The information within the parentheses is the function's arguments. Functions vary in how they use arguments. A function may use.
- No arguments
- One argument
- A fixed number of arguments
- An indeterminate number of arguments
- Optional arguments
For example, the RAND function, which returns a random number between 0 and 1, does not use an argument. Even if a function does not require an argument, you must provide a set of empty parentheses, like this:
=RAND()
If a function uses more than one argument, a comma separates the arguments. For example, the LARGE function, which returns the nth largest value in a range, uses two arguments. The first argument represents the range; the second argument represents the value for n. The formula below returns the third-largest value in the range A1:A100:
=LARGE(A1:A100,3)
The character used to separate function arguments can be something other than a comma-for example, a semicolon. This character is determined by the List Separator setting for your system, which is specified in the Regional Settings dialog box, accessible via the Control Panel.
The examples at the beginning of the tutorial used cell or range references for arguments. Excel proves quite flexible when it comes to function arguments, however. The following sections demonstrate additional argument types for functions.